(BUSINESS WIRE)-- W. L. Gore & Associates (Gore) has announced that the GORE® VIABAHN® VBX Balloon Expandable Endoprosthesis (VBX Stent Graft) has received U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) approval for treatment of de novo or restenotic lesions found in iliac arteries, including lesions at the aortic bifurcation. This marks the availability of the only balloon expandable stent graft with an indication for the iliac artery.
“The VBX Stent Graft demonstrated notable immediate and nine-month safety and efficacy in treating patients with iliac occlusive disease which can be attributed to the exceptional device design,” said Jean Bismuth, MD. Dr. Bismuth continued, “Overall, there were multiple clinical benefits observed, including no median change in the device length upon deployment and a 100 percent technical success rate with no occurrences of stent dislodgement or significant residual stenosis. The study device performed well in disadvantaged lesions, including occlusions, which speaks to its trackability, radial strength, conformability, and stent retention.”
Gore VBX FLEX IDE Clinical Study
Of the patients in the Gore VBX FLEX IDE clinical study (n=134), 32 percent presented with TASC II type C or D lesions, 18 percent required contralateral access to the lesion, and 42 percent involved kissing stents at the aortic bifurcation. Clinical data from the Gore VBX FLEX IDE clinical study conducted for FDA approval reflected that the design components of the VBX Stent Graft were resilient both during stenting procedures and over time:
100 percent success rate in device delivery and coverage of target lesions in all study subjects;
100 percent success rate in reducing the target lesion to less than or equal to 30 percent of the original stenosis;
Zero change in median length of the device upon deployment; and
96.9 percent primary patency at nine-months, including a 95.3 percent primary patency rate in those patients with TASC II C or D type lesions.
Further, there were no reported incidences of device dislodgement, failures in stent integrity, or device-related serious adverse events through the primary endpoint follow up, meaning no additional costs incurred for either endovascular or surgical stent removal. The VBX Stent Graft does not require pre-dilation, which reduces the number of balloons required, and the longer lengths available reduce the need to use multiple stents for extensive lesions, both of which also contribute to procedural cost savings.
AVAILABILITY
“The VBX Stent Graft combines radial strength with trackability and implanted conformability that results in successful outcomes for patients, providers and physicians,” said Ray Swinney, Peripheral Interventional Business Leader at Gore.
The VBX Stent Graft was developed utilizing the small diameter, ePTFE stent graft technology from the GORE® VIABAHN® Endoprosthesis. The VBX Stent Graft is available in a range of diameters from 5 to 11 millimeters and lengths of 15, 19, 29, 39, 59, and 79 millimeters to cover a wide variety of treatment needs.
Gore provides a portfolio of peripheral vascular solutions that are designed and tested so physicians can more reliably treat patients with a wide range of challenging peripheral disease presentations and improve those patients’ outcomes. Each interventional solution is engineered for durability, accuracy, thromboresistance and conformability, and is backed by dedicated service to help improve patient outcomes.
For more information, visit goremedical.com/vbx
ABOUT W. L. GORE & ASSOCIATES
At Gore, we have provided creative therapeutic solutions to complex medical problems for 40 years. During that time, 40 million innovative Gore Medical Devices have been implanted, saving and improving the quality of lives worldwide. Our extensive family of products includes vascular grafts, endovascular and interventional devices, surgical meshes for hernia and soft tissue reconstruction, staple line reinforcement materials, and sutures for use in vascular, cardiac, and general surgery. We are one of a select few companies to appear on all of the U.S. “100 Best Companies to Work For” lists since the rankings debuted in 1984.
Products listed may not be available in all markets. GORE®, VBX, and VIABAHN® are trademarks of W. L. Gore & Associates.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170130005288/en/

Compressed air in a power plant is one of the key utilities that contributes substantially to energy consumption. SEWA taking into account their vision on energy conservation have chosen 6 units of Atlas Copco two stage water-cooled oil-free screw compressors, model ZR75 to replace their existing aging fleet of reciprocating compressors at “Layyah Power Plant”, which is their largest plant in the Emirate of Sharjah.

Sharjah Electricity & Water Authority owned by Sharjah Government as (Sharjah Electricity & Water Department), has crafted an ambitious strategy “SEWA Vision 2020” to enhance its competitiveness while promoting a culture of excellence, efficiency and innovation. To build up green planet as a pillar of the vision, SEWA aims to reduce energy and water consumption and carbon emissions as well as reducing the environmental impact of their operations. They will achieve this goal through innovation, collaboration and global partnerships to increase understanding of environmental issues and disseminate good practices.

As a world leading compressor manufacturer, over the past sixty years Atlas Copco has pioneered the development of oil-free air technology, resulting in a range of air compressors and blowers that provide 100% pure, clean oil-free air required for instrument air applications in power plants.

SEWA had employed 25 years old oil-free reciprocating compressors for their instrument air requirements at Layyah Power Station. However due to aging and obsolescence the Layyah team found it difficult to keep this compressed air plant in operation which was effecting the generation capability of the power plant, besides the stiff target to focus on energy conservation and reduce consumption in line with the vision 2020.

After reviewing proposals from different vendors and evaluating different compression technologies, SEWA concluded on Atlas Copco ZR75 oil-free screw compressors as the best selection to replace the existing reciprocating units. Reliability as the key criteria, followed by serviceability and efficiency, Atlas Copco owing to their experience in manufacturing of rotary screw compressors and availability of local service support were taken into consideration when SEWA selected ZR75 for this replacement job.

Initially the Layyah team ordered 2 units in 2008 to confirm the performance and once convinced they have steadily progressed with replacing the remaining reciprocating compressors over the last few years. Now a total 6 units are in service in place of the 8 reciprocating units.

“These units together have improved plant reliability many folds, while reducing maintenance cost to a fraction of what was being spent on the older reciprocating units, and to top it all these units have reduced the energy consumption by over 20% which is meeting the vision 2020 of the SEWA management.” said Mr. Essa Al Suweidi, Power Generation Manager from the Layyah Plant.

Khalid Shaikh, the Regional Business Line Manager of Atlas Copco stressed the fact that Atlas Copco Z series of oil free compressors are best in class in the industry and Atlas Copco is a compressed air partner to the power industry that seeks reliable and efficient compressed air systems.

Customers should contact their local sales representative for additional information.

NOTE
TO EDITORS: ASCEND PERFORMANCE MATERIALS is a trademark of Ascend
Performance Materials Operations LLC. This trademark has been registered
in jurisdictions throughout the world, including the United States of
America.

About Ascend Performance MaterialsAscend Performance
Materials is a global premium provider of high-quality chemicals,
fibers and plastics. Ascend is one of the world’s largest integrated
PA66 producers, with its own in-house manufacturing facilities, ensuring
total security of supply. Ascend’s product range has earned it an
unequalled reputation for quality, innovative techniques and an
enlightened approach to business that expands the horizons of
possibility. With eight global locations and more than 3,200 people
working at our sites around the world, Ascend has the inspiration, the
expertise, the people and the attitude toward innovation to consistently
deliver the right solution for customers.

About SK CapitalSK
Capital is a private investment firm with a disciplined focus on the
specialty materials, chemicals and healthcare sectors. The firm’s
purpose is to build strong and growing businesses that create
substantial long-term economic value. SK utilizes its industry,
operating and investment experience to identify opportunities to
transform businesses into higher performing organizations with improved
strategic positioning, growth and profitability as well as lower
operating risk. SK Capital’s portfolio companies generate revenues of
approximately $8 billion annually and employ approximately 9,000 people.
The firm currently manages more than $1.5 billion of committed capital.
For more information, please visit www.skcapitalpartners.com

Grundfos,
the award-winning world leader in advanced pump solutions, recently
launched its first assembly line for CRN pumps in the Middle East. The
opening of the assembly line located at the company’s facilities in
Jebel Ali in Dubai comes following an extensive feasibility study that
examined numerous product types.

In his remarks on the launch of
the assembly line; Stewart Procter, Grundfos Senior Director Operations
& Customer Service, Middle East noted: “Exceeding our client’s
expectations is a main component of Grundfos philosophy. Therefore, and
in order to maintain the maximum flexibility for our 13 countries, we
recommended that the CRN pumps should be assembled in Grundfos
facilities in the UAE rather than keeping finished stock units. The
recommendations were approved by the Group’s headquarters.”

He
continued: “The study we undertook concluded that we can increase sales
of our CRN1-45 by 350 units in the first year alone. In case we applied
further improvements and adhered to the set plans, this number could
remarkably rise to an extra 2600 units by the fifth year.”

Notably,
the approval for the assembly line was received at the end of August
and the execution phase began through the VPC (Verification of product
conformity) process immediately after. A small team in Grundfos was
formed and included several departments such as the Product Management,
Engineering, CSU (customer support unit), Quality and Production, along
with several colleagues from the Group who provided help, guidance and
the ultimate approval of the VPC.

The optimum mix of components
had to be determined, ordered and shipped which takes six weeks transit
time from Europe to Grundfos facilities in Jebel Ali. Various
improvements to the test bed were made; lots of SAP data were entered;
training sessions were organized; and production tools, printers,
shelves and lifting tables were ordered as well.

“Whilst I would
like to say it was a smooth process throughout the VPC. We did have
several minor hiccups that were easily dealt with by our expert teams,
and the first 14 pumps were ready by mid-December, and we were able to
take some along to our Christmas party on 22nd December. “We can say now
that we’re all set to start selling, 2017 started off with the first
official GGD-assembled CRN order for one of our OEM customers,”
concluded Procter.

About Grundfos

Founded in 1945 in
Bjerringbro, a small town in Denmark, Grundfos has expanded its
production to over 40 countries. Today Grundfos is represented by 19,000
employees in over 50 countries worldwide with revenue above €3 billion
euro. Additionally, Grundfos has a strong local presence through its
distributors and partners. With an annual production of more than 16
million pump units serving systems within buildings, industry, waste
utilities, infrastructure, landscaping and water treatment, Grundfos is
one of the world’s leading pump manufacturers and a trendsetter in water
technology.

Setting the highest industry standards in energy
efficient and sustainable pumping solutions is a key part of Grundfos’
foundation. Built on values and high ethics, Grundfos works with local
communities and global society to resolve the world’s water and energy
challenges. Grundfos has been present in the Middle East since the 1980s
and today its regional headquarters are in the Jebel Ali Free Zone, one
of the largest ports and Free Zones in the world. It has additional
representative companies in KSA and Egypt, and branch offices throughout
the region.

(BUSINESS
WIRE)-- Nashwa Al Ruwaini, CEO of media and TV production company
Pyramedia triumphed at the 25th edition of the Le Fonti IAIR Awards. The
Award Ceremony, held at the Palace Downtown Dubai on the 15th of
December 2016, crowned her as CEO of the Year over the entire Middle
East. This is the third consecutive recognition for Dr. Al Ruwaini who
was elected in 2014 as IAIR’s Most Influential Woman of the Year and in
2015 as CEO of the Year - Media & Entertainment.

Mr. Guido
Giommi, Le Fonti President, dedicated this award to “her [Dr. Al
Ruwaini] continuous achievements and her unceasing motivation to build
not only a successful media & entertainment company, but a landmark
for innovation, sustainable growth, creativity and diversity. For her
outstanding contribution to the industry and her influence as a woman
and as an entrepreneur to the improvement of both society and business
in the Middle East”. This year, Pyramedia was also awarded as Company of
the Year for Leadership in the Media & Entertainment industry for
the Middle East. Mr. Giommi dedicated this award to Pyramedia “for being
a dynamic and unique company that provides world class media services
across a full spectrum of television/film production, events, marketing
and advertising. Thanks to an award-winning team from different
disciplines and a charismatic CEO, Pyramedia promotes a culture of
creativity, variety and talent with an undisputed added value for
audience, clients and the whole industry”.

KAEC (Emaar), CSCEC, ENOC and Shaikhani Group were some of the Top 10 Middle East companies of this year’s edition.

“I
am privileged to accept the coveted award for Best CEO of the Middle
East and our company Pyramedia is very proud to be recognized with the
Company of the Year Award”, said Nashwa Al Ruwaini. “This is the third
year we have been honored with a prestigious IAIR Award, but this time
we are delighted to be receiving two. In this difficult economic
climate, having a successful business can be challenging, so it is
especially rewarding to be receiving the Company of the Year Award, we
are genuinely honored to accept this. I would like to extend our
heartfelt thanks to IAIR for acknowledging me and Pyramedia with such
acclaimed titles”.

LUXEMBOURG-Tuesday, January 31st 2017 [ ME NewsWire ]
(BUSINESS WIRE)--
SES S.A. (Euronext Paris:SESG) (LuxX:SESG) announced today that Satcom
Global, a leading provider of global satellite communications services
to the maritime and land sectors, will become a key partner for SES. The
differentiated mobility solution will form a crucial part of Satcom
Global’s new Ku-band VSAT service, Aura, providing seamless, reliable
and high-speed connectivityto hundreds of maritime, offshore and land customers.
The agreement provides Satcom Global with seamless access to SES's
satellite fleet and upcoming next generation hybrid satellites with high
throughput payloads. SES will also provide a robust ground network
infrastructure, enabling multi-satellite access and service integration
solutions.
SES will provide Satcom Global with an open and scalable VSAT
platform that allows flexibility to deliver customisable, always-on
broadband connectivity. SES delivers high-value performance with minimal
initial investment cost and enables Satcom Global to scale-up service
for customers without delay.
“SES is the ideal partner for Satcom Global. The current footprint,
augmented by a series of high throughput beams over the next two years,
makes SES the logical choice to support Aura, our global VSAT service
offering. The coverage, capacity and flexibility provided by the SES
service is the perfect platform for Satcom Global to develop the type of
VSAT offering our customers have been waiting for,” said Ben Swallow,
General Manager, VSAT, at Satcom Global.
Ferdinand Kayser, Chief Commercial Officer at SES, said: “From
providing access to entertainment for crew welfare to driving
operational efficiencies, connectivity needs across a wide variety of
sectors are growing, and SES aims to help meet that demand across the
world. Leveraging SES’s global satellite fleet, upcoming HTS capacity,
and extensive ground infrastructure, Satcom Global will benefit fully
from customisable bandwidth and coverage, and ensure efficient
utilisation of satellite capacity.”
Follow us on:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SES_Satellites
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SES.Satellites
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/SESVideoChannel
Blog: https://www.ses.com/news/blogs
SES White papers are available under https://www.ses.com/news/whitepapersAbout SES
SES is the world-leading satellite operator and the first to deliver a
differentiated and scalable GEO-MEO offering worldwide, with more than
50 satellites in Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) and 12 in Medium Earth
Orbit (MEO). SES focuses on value-added, end-to-end solutions in four
key market verticals (Video, Enterprise, Mobility and Government). It
provides satellite communications services to broadcasters, content and
internet service providers, mobile and fixed network operators,
governments and institutions, and businesses worldwide. SES’s portfolio
includes the ASTRA satellite system, which has the largest
Direct-to-Home (DTH) television reach in Europe, and O3b Networks, a
global managed data communications service provider. Another SES
subsidiary, MX1, is a leading media service provider and offers a full
suite of innovative digital video and media services.Further information available at: www.ses.comAbout Satcom Global
Satcom Global is a leading provider of global satellite services to
the maritime, land and aero markets, and a trusted supplier of marine
and offshore safety systems and engineering services. We provide voice
and data solutions for users in remote locations outside terrestrial
networks, and design and integrate systems ensuring safety in the most
hazardous of environments. With sales and support hubs across Asia,
Australia, Europe and the US, we invest significantly in our people as
well as the development of technical solutions and infrastructure to
ensure we can provide the best innovative solutions to our customers,
with a smile. www.satcomglobal.com More information about the Satcom Global Aura service can be found at http://www.satcomglobal.com/aura-vsat including hardware specifications, solution packages and full details on VSAT engineering and installation.

(BUSINESS
WIRE)-- Ferring Pharmaceuticals and Enteris BioPharma, Inc. announced
today that the companies have entered into a license agreement and
initiated an early development agreement to leverage Enteris’
proprietary and patented oral peptide and small molecule delivery
platform, Peptelligence™, to engineer an oral formulation of a
peptide-based injectable therapeutic developed by Ferring.

Under
the terms of the agreement, Enteris BioPharma will license to Ferring
its oral drug delivery technologies, as well as provide clinical trial
finished product, and will receive milestones and royalties based on net
sales of the developed product.

The licensing agreement with
Ferring Pharmaceuticals highlights Enteris BioPharma’s successful
“Feasibility-to-Licensing” strategy involving Peptelligence™, its
peptide and small molecule oral drug delivery platform. The technology
is currently the subject of several active external development programs
and has proven effective over the last decade to enable the safe
delivery of peptide-based therapeutics and other molecules with low oral
bioavailability.

Joel Tune, Chief Executive Officer and
Executive Chairman of Enteris BioPharma, remarked, “Our agreement with
Ferring Pharmaceuticals exemplifies the opportunity our Peptelligence
platform offers in enhancing the market potential of peptide-based
therapeutics by enabling the oral delivery of medications that must
otherwise be administered by injection. We are excited to work with an
industry leader like Ferring Pharmaceuticals to advance the development
of an oral peptide-based therapeutic.”

Alan Harris, Senior Vice
President, R&D Executive Office of Ferring Pharmaceuticals,
remarked, “The ability to deliver oral peptides offers Ferring the
opportunity to provide additional therapeutic choices to patients. We
are impressed with Enteris’ proprietary oral delivery technology and
look forward to working with them to advance this development program.”

ENDS

About Ferring Pharmaceuticals

Headquartered
in Switzerland, Ferring Pharmaceuticals is a research-driven, specialty
biopharmaceutical group active in global markets. The company
identifies, develops and markets innovative products in the areas of
reproductive health, urology, gastroenterology, endocrinology and
orthopaedics. Ferring has its own operating subsidiaries in nearly 60
countries and markets its products in 110 countries. To learn more about
Ferring or its products please visit www.ferring.com.

About Enteris BioPharma

Enteris
BioPharma, Inc. is a privately held, New Jersey-based biotechnology
company offering innovative formulation solutions built around its
proprietary drug delivery technologies. The Company’s proprietary oral
delivery technology – Peptelligence™ - has been the subject of numerous
feasibility studies and active development programs, several of which
are in late stage clinical development. Additionally, Enteris BioPharma
has built and is advancing an internal product pipeline of oral tablet
reformulations of drug products that address significant treatment
opportunities for which there is no oral delivery option. Enteris
BioPharma’s most advanced internal product candidate, Ovarest™ (oral
leuprolide tablet), is a Phase 2a-ready oral peptide, being developed
for the treatment of endometriosis. For more information on Enteris
BioPharma and its proprietary oral delivery technology and contract
manufacturing capabilities, please visit www.enterisbiopharma.com.

Under
the initiative of the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, The Climb to Abu Dhabi
Vertical Marathon presented by Daman’s ActiveLife was held at the iconic
Etihad Towers on Friday the 27th of January 2017. A total of 712
participants took up the challenge across 6 different race categories
climbing 82 Floors / 1,617 Steps or 32 Floors / 720 Steps with winners
taking home $25,000 USD in prize money.

Speaking at the event H.E
Aref Hamad Al Awani, Secretary General of the Abu Dhabi Sports Council,
commented, “Stair climbing is one of the best forms of exercise and the
easiest way to work fitness into our busy lives. We are delighted with
the inaugural event and encourage everyone to join the stair climbing
movement not just from today but into the future.”

Brand
Ambassador of the event and current World Champion, Piotr Lobodzinski
expressed his delight at the engagement of the community and worlds best
runners, he stated “The Climb to Abu Dhabi was a very new race for many
of today’s participants. Its fantastic to see such a great response
which hopefully sees the sport of tower running become even more popular
in the Middle East Region.”

Christian Riedl winner of the men’s
elites category, and current world number 2 ranked tower runner
expressed his delight at crossing the vertical line in the ultimate
winning time of 9mins and 21seconds. He stated “I am very happy to win
the event, obviously with such prize money on stake we had a strong
field so to hear my name announced as the winner was a great feeling.
The race itself was considerably difficult with a fast track approaching
the stairs but overall a fantastic event and look forward to defending
my title next year already.”

Australia’s world champion Suzy
Walsham whom took home the Female Elite title in an impressive 10mins
and 30seconds was also delighted with her performance, stating “what a
wonderful event to see so many of the community take part in tower
running. Today’s event was a good test as it was a building that no one
has ever run up. Delighted to take home the title and look forward to
seeing many more of the Abu Dhabi community take on the challenge next
year.”

Richard Foulds, Head of Property Management at Etihad
Towers; the home of the Climb to Abu Dhabi, stated “on behalf of His
Highness Sheikh Suroor Bin Mohammed Al Nahyan, it was a pleasure for the
2017 “Climb to Abu Dhabi Vertical Marathon” to be hosted at the iconic
Etihad Towers in conjunction with Abu Dhabi’s sports council, Daman
Health Insurance and of course our hotel partners Jumeirah Group.

Tower
2, where this year’s event took place, is one of three residential
towers, measuring 310m in height and remains one of the tallest iconic
residential towers in Abu Dhabi. The event also happily coincides with
the 5th anniversary of the opening of Etihad Towers, which remains the
largest mixed use development in Abu Dhabi. It was a pleasure for Etihad
Towers for Real Estate (ETRE) to award Ms. Alice McNamara, who flew in
all the way from Sydney Australia, the trophy and prize money for coming
runner up in the female elite category

On behalf of His Highness
Sheikh Suroor and the Etihad Towers team, we would like to thank all
the supporters and participants both professional athletes and family
& friends and welcome them back to Etihad Towers Abu Dhabi for next
year’s edition.

An exhibition race in 2017 under the sanctioning
of the World Tower Running Association, the Climb to Abu Dhabi is also
the first destination city for the newly formed Climb to Vertical
Series, which will see cities around the Middle East & North Africa
form part of the a MENA vertical series to launch in 2018.

An
initiative of the Abu Dhabi Sports Council and presented by Daman’s
ActiveLife, the Climb to Abu Dhabi is hosted and sponsored by Etihad
Towers and supported by Reebok, Etisalat, Technogym, National Ambulance,
Jumeirah at Etihad Towers and Sport360.

Further details including full results and partners are available on www.climbtoabudhabi.com.